Various electrical devices, such as excimer lasers, require a fast rise, high voltage, high current electrical discharge of an energy pulse for their operation. Such a pulse is applied to the laser cavity in a manner that atomically excites the laser gas to metastable quantum states. By proper laser design, these states collapse in unison to produce the desired optical output pulse.
The generation of the energy pulse has been accomplished by using at least two power electronics modules, namely: (1) a high voltage power supply (HVPS) that provides a current-controlled output used to charge external energy storage capacitors over a relatively long period of time; and (2) a power modulator that draws upon the energy storage capacitors to develop a very fast, high power electrical pulse. There are several variations on this general arrangement, but all have a separate HVPS, or capacitor charger supply, that is separated from the power modulator. A high voltage cable provides the interconnect between the HVPS and modulator. Therefore one object of the present invention is to provide an integrated HVPS and power modulator that does not require high voltage cabling between the HVPS and power modulator.
Classical modulators are generally thyratron driven, but, in rare cases, might use gas-filled spark gap switches as well. Over the past several years, all-solid-state approaches based on magnetic pulse compression have emerged, but have generally been restricted to high end applications because of cost and a pervasive belief that such designs are difficult to realize. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cost efficient all-solid-state power modulator for use in an integrated HVPS and power modulator that does not require high voltage cabling between the HVPS and power modulator. These and other objects of the invention are further set forth in this specification.